Folding umbrella.



UNITED STAT-153sv Patented September 22, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.-

WILLIAM L. MCCOMB, OF WINDOM, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-.THIRD TO J.EDWARD JOHNSON, OF WINDOM, .MINNESOTA FOLDING U'li/IBELLA.

APEGIlfICA'lION forming part of Letters Patent o. 739,437, datedSeptember 22, 1903. Application filed December 1S, 1902; Serial No.135,720. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom tm/ay concern,.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM L. MCOOMB, a citizen of the United States,residing at Windom, in the county of Cottonwood and State of Minnesota,have invented certain construction including, among other features,

novel means for locking the rib-joints when the ribs are in extendedcondition and also novel means for pivotally connecting the ribs andstretchers, respectively, tothe stick and runner. y

The de tails of construction are fully set forth in the followingdescription, which is to be read in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, in which Figure 1 is a view in elevation of the stick and onerib and stretcher embodying the improvements. Fig. 2, is an enlargedelevation, and Fig. 3 an enlarged sectional view, showing'thepivotalconn'eetionfof a rib with the stick. Fig. 4 is an enlargedelevation, and Fig. 5 an enlargedsectional view, showing the pivotalconnection of a stretcherwith the runner. Fig. 6 is anenlarged'elevation of aportion of a rib and stretcher, the extended andfolded conditions of the rib being respectively shown in full and dottedlines. further enlarged sectional view on line 7 7 of f Fig. G.

ribs are each composed of an inner section 3 and an outer section 4,theinner sections being pivoted to the stick by the following means:Encirclin'g the stick is a sleeve having an upper portion o, closelyfitting the stick and which may have a lateral hole 6 for .the insertionofv a pin for fastening the sleeve to the stick .and a lower enlargedportion 7, having in its wal] a plurality of vertical slots 8 8,coremployed.

.commodate the heads. on the stretchers.

Fig. 7 1s aV responding in number to the number of ribs The enlargedportion 7 is chambered to provide room for" heads on the ribsections3,which heads are formed by cutting away the metal at opposite sides, asshown at 9 9. The ribs at the reduced portion are of slightly less widththan the width of the slots 8, which they occupy, and the heads, byengaging the inner wall of the enlarged portion, 6o prevent thewithdrawal of the ribs, but allow free movement thereof in the openingand closing of the umbrella.' In assemblage the rib ends are inserted inthe slots and the sleeve is slipped over the stick at itsupper end, thestick thus aiding to confine the rib ends. The sleeve may be secured bymeans of the pin above mentioned or by a stop 10 on the stick andacap-sleeve 11. The runner consists of a sleeve 12, having toward its up-7o per end an annular flange 13, integral with the 14 14,' correspondingin number to the number of stretchers 15, the. latter being pro- 7 5vided with heads 16, formed by cutting away the metal in a mannersimilar to that described With reference` to the rib ends. Therunner-sleeve is exteriorly threaded below the flange, and 17'is a nutengaging the threadsl 8o and screwedagainst the base of the flange toconfine the stretcher ends which occupy the slots. The flange l.extendsbeyond the runner-sleeve a sufficient distance to freely ac- '85 The nut17 is provided at its upper end with Van annular depression 17',receiving the lower end of the flange 13. The threaded bore of the nutis of sufficient diameter to allow it to be slippedover the fiange atthe bottom of 9e providing lower ears'20, to which is pivoted roc:

the outer end of a stretcher, and providing a spring-clamp 21, the jawsof which extend upwardly from the ribsection end or in a directionopposite to that of the ears and which conform at their inner faces tothe inner ribsection which they engage, and preferably said innerrib-sections are of round form in cross-section. The clamp holds theouter ribsection in alinement with the inner rib-section when saidsections are unfolded; but the engagement being frictional a slight pressure will release the held section and permit folding.

The umbrella is foldable when in closed condition, and as the joints areabout midway of the length of the ribs the compass of the umbrella isreduced by folding to about one-half. The stick is, as before stated, intwo parts, which are disconnected when the umbrella is in foldedcondition.

I claim as my invention- Il. A folding umbrella having ribs each formedof sections pivoted together to be in alinement when unfolded, ears on011e of the sections for pivotal connection with a stretcher, andspring-jaws extendin g from the formed of sections the inner one ofwhich has a reduced upturned end, and the outer section having at itsupper side two ears to which said apertured end is pivoted, and havingan integral split end from which extend upwardly clamping-jaws for theinner section and from which extend downwardly ears for connection withthe stretcher, said jaws and downwardly-extending ears being in the samevertical plane.

3. In a foldin g umbrella, a sleeve having toward its upper end anintegral annular fla-nge of inverted-L form in cross-section provided

